“New Video Explores the Historical Credibility of the Book of Abraham”

A fun note from our attendance at the Salt Lake Temple yesterday:  When I was given the little slip bearing the name of the person for whom I was to officiate — a man who was christened on 1 April 1877 in Fritton, Suffolk, England — I was pleased to see that it had been submitted for temple ordinances by one “Wendy Watson Nelson,” whose address appeared on the slip at 47 East South Temple in Salt Lake City.  And when I showed it to my wife, it turned out that hers, too, had been submitted by Sister Nelson.

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4 December 2019:  “New Renderings Released for Salt Lake Temple Renovation”

19 April 2019:  “Plans Unveiled for Salt Lake Temple Renovation”

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The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the following 2019 Christmas message:

Memories of Christmas bring recollections of family, gifts, and service. They stem from the real reason for Christmas, that transcendent gift from our Heavenly Father. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

We bear witness of the living reality of Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace and Light of the World. Joy can come to all who choose to follow Him.

This Christmas, may we reflect on the life and Atonement of Jesus Christ. May we feel kinship to those who suffer and see one another as sons and daughters of God. May we gratefully acknowledge the Father’s incomparable gift to us—His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Russell M. Nelson

Dallin H. Oaks

Henry B. Eyring

 

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Here are some very nice videos from the grounds of the Manila Philippines Temple, which are decorated for the Christmas season.  One contains interviews in a mixture of English and what I take to be Tagalog:

https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/manila-philippines-temple/videos/

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“New Video Explores the Historical Credibility of the Book of Abraham”

A new video by Pearl of Great Price Central brings together just a few samples of evidence reinforcing the Book of Abraham’s historicity. Drawing from a series of short articles called Book of Abraham Insights and going chapter by chapter through the text, this new video reviews the evidence for a plausible cultural, geographical, and historical setting for the opening chapter of the Book of Abraham (Abraham 1), explains how the form or structure of the Abrahamic covenant in the Book of Abraham matches the covenant pattern known from texts in Abraham’s day (Abraham 2:6–11), provides a believable ancient context for Abraham’s “lie” about his wife Sarai (Abraham 2:22–25), highlights one way of understanding so-called “Abrahamic astronomy” in an ancient context (Abraham 3), discusses the likely etymology of two unique astronomical names in the Book of Abraham (Kolob and Shinehah), explores the depiction of the unquestionably ancient concept of the divine council in the text (Abraham 3), and details how the Creation account in the Book of Abraham matches other texts from Abraham’s day (Abraham 4–5).